Hogwarts and the Avengers
by Faelyrus
Summary: The Avengers...as witches & wizards of Hogwarts! What happens when a certain wizard falls in love with another one, but is hampered by a history of rivalry between their houses? Slash.
1. Chapter 1

**I love Hogwarts and I love lokitony, and this was the result. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it :) Harry & friends do not appear in this story, and that is why I did not list it as a crossover fic. Basically, I took the context of Hogwarts and immersed the Avengers within it. Some professors do remain though :) Liberties have been taken with this fic!**

* * *

**- Chapter 1 -**

**The Unofficial Duel**

'Hey, love!'

Loki ducked as a leather bound book sailed over his head neatly and landed on the lawn beside him. He picked it up and realised it was his copy of 'Advanced Potion Making'. Sure enough, the annotations in the book's various margins were there, neatly written in Loki's beautiful cursive.

'You forgot your book!'

Grinning from the nearby archway overlooking the lawn was Bruce Banner, his posture lazy as he leaned against one of the school's many pillars. Bruce always looked like a bear, not a grizzly, a smaller sized black bear maybe, his height menancing and suggestive of an understated power that could be provoked and unleashed under the right circumstances.

'Thanks.' Loki replied in a way that indicated otherwise. Nothing roused his ire more than speaking to anyone outside his circle of friends from Slytherin. Slytherins should stick with Slytherins, and Hufflepufs with their own kind. He knew from experience how hostile it could get when mixing with members of other houses. Each house was rightly..._territorial_. Especially Gryffindors.

'No problem.'

Biting his lip, Loki turned away furiously and started across the lawn, already feeling the heat creeping up his neck and blossoming across his cheeks. _Why did he have to be so nice for? I hate creeps like him._ _We have nothing in common, what, does he want to be friends? _The thought softened Loki's expression a little and something in his chest squeezed painfully. _What if...what if Bruce Banner wanted to be friends? _Maybe they could even go down to Hogsmeade together one day...but he was getting ahead of himself. _Remember, no expectations, no dissappointment._

Without knowing it, he had been approaching the end of the lawn and therefore, his favourite spot for reading underneath an oak tree. Except that he had wanted to head down to the Great Hall for lunch and then to meet Amora and Skurge.

Taking a deep breath, he mentally cooled himself down before turning around – and found himself staring right into Bruce's kindly, bespectacled eyes.

'What the – you scared me, Banner.' Bruce had followed his trail across the lawn like an oversized mastiff. Recently, he had been doing that, tailing Loki to all his lessons, bumping shoulders with him in the Great Hall on purpose, fetching books from their unreachable positions on the library shelf for Loki and all his actions were making Loki horribly confused and unsure of his own feelings towards Banner. He didn't know whether to hate him or trust him.

'Had to investigate that curious expression of yours.' Bruce's eyes twinkled as he continued, as if relishing the confused and affected look that appeared on Loki's face. 'So, I was wondering if maybe you would like to get a drink down at The Three Broomsticks someday?' A pink flush had spread across Bruce's cheekbones as Loki thought _he likes me_, and then Bruce said 'O-only if you want to, of course.'

'I'd gladly -'

Before Loki could even open his mouth to reply, another voice sounded across the courtyard, this time loud and brassy and _annoying as hell_.

'Oi, Bruce! Flirting with the greaseball again? Awww sweetheart, you shouldn't lead men on, didn't your mother tell you that? I'm sure she mentioned something about speaking to strangers, especially sneaky, black-haired 5th-years.' Tony's wide smile at seeing Bruce soon transitioned into a severe narrowing of the eyes at the sight of Loki.

Loki had to supress the urge to whip out his wand from the folds of his robe, pointing it in an instant at that hateful Tony Stark and shout '_Sectumsempra_'! Nothing would please him more than to watch Stark bleed to his death in front of him and the whole school. The image provoked a snide chuckle from Loki's throat and he was sure Stark's eyes couldn't get any narrower.

'- and then she said in that mean tone of hers, 'Bugger off,'. Oof, gotta take that hard huh? What's a man gotta do, when he's in love – There you are Tony, you found Bruce yet? Oh, I see him.' Just then, Clint Barton had stode out of Transfiguration class with Thor Odinson and was delighting the latter with stories of his latest conquests. Or latest _non_-conquests, because clearly, Natasha Romanoff was hardly interested. But Clint was a man that would never take 'No' for an answer, and was evidently quite roused up by Natasha's rejection.

'Yeap, you do. Hanging around that hooked-nose fella again.' Tony's voice dripped with malice and mockery. Big-shot that he was, he had to throw his weight about sometimes. Already, the students in the courtyard had appeared to stop breathing and everyone was quite still as they stood their ground and watched, anticipating yet another Slytherin-Gryffindor showoff. 'I don't think we ought to make friends with people who hang out with others of _his_ kind.' Tony spat bitterly.

_Except the odds are hardly in my favor_, Loki thought bitterly. One Slytherin against three Gryffindors? This was a good time for Amora and Skurge to arrive and come to his aid. He wished Professor Snape was still around to fend for the Slytherins.

'What's going on?' and then Thor was suddenly in the picture, his blond mane hanging above his face as usual, covering his eyes in an almost fashionable way. 'Brother?' He flinched when he caught sight of Loki, then attempting to make his way towards him, he called Loki's name.

'No! You stay away, Thor. I am not your brother,' he hissed in what was decidedly an undeserved tone of hatred because Thor turned away in a look of reproach and grief. Loki had no patience with Thor's antiquated way of speech nor his overly masculine affectations. Unable to watch anymore, Thor had stalked off towards the Great Hall, ignoring Clint's repeated cries, probably to drown his sorrows in butterbeer. He probably didn't think that Tony and his brother would actually come to blows. After all, this situation had been fairly common to Thor, usually watching as Tony and his brother exchange words and then each would walk off in the opposite direction. No harm done. Maybe Tonyand Clint could be cruel in their teasing, but Loki levelled the playing field with Amora and Skurge on his side. Plain popular boy politics.

But with the main deterrent gone, both Loki and Tony had their restraints off. Dangerous.

'I don't think you should use that tone against your own brother.' Tony was approaching Loki now, stepping on the grass, a hand menancingly in the folds of his robes. He didn't like it when Loki insulted Thor, or anyone from his gang and could feel his skin prickling from the insult and blood rush to his ears, throbbing, the noise defeaning.

'I don't think you should tell me what to do,' Loki said cooly, his own hand reaching for his wand. The air between them sparkled with animosity and there was a collective hush around the students gathering to watch.

Bruce attempted to mediate. 'Cool down,Tony, Loki wasn't -' but Bruce didnt finish his sentence because he was knocked unconscious by a red flare from Tony's wand. It was a stunning spell, and it had hit Bruce squarely in the middle of his broad chest. Those damn trusting Hufflepuffs. Though it was probably a bad move, considering how strong Bruce could be when he wanted to. During last year's Quidditch finals, Bruce had armstronged, not on purpose, but by the sheer force of his size and strength, a few of the Gryffindors' bludgers out of the way including Clint Barton. Luckily, Hufflepuff's team had only him and not much else to worry about, otherwise, even with Tony on the team, Gryffindor could have eaten some serious dirt.

'Ooh...that must hurt.' Clint winced.

'Don't worry. It's nothing compared to what's coming for our little snake here.' Tony smiled, but somehow it did not reach his eyes.

'I'd like to see you try...mudblood.' Loki muttered, but it was loud enough for Tony's sharp ears and with a cry of '_Flipendo Tria_!', the unofficial duel had started.

Loki could feel himself being pushed backwards by the force of the knockback jinx and mentally cursed himself for letting Stark get one up on him. Brandishing his wand, he countered Tony's next blast of fiery energy and sent back a blue bolt himself. Both wizards ducked and dodged, rolling on the ground when necessary, but they kept their eyes on each other, unwavering, spewing hatred and spite. After a while, it became obvious that both wizards were evenly matched, although Loki knew more spells than Tony. Tony's mastery of spells however, was not to be underestimated.

'Go for it, Tony! Beat that slimey bastard down!' Clint's cheering could be heard clearly across the yard. At least he had enough honor not to interfere. Wizard's duel was soley between two participants and two only. Clint would probably serve as Stark's second, if Stark was knocked out, but Loki had nobody to serve as his second. A sinking feeling stirred the bottoms of Loki's belly. He must survive somehow, and god knows, Stark was quite the ferocious duelist. Where were Amora and Skurge when he needed them? Probably making out in a stairway somewhere.

They kept at it for a while, sending spells whizzing across the lawn, which had turned into something resembling a mini battlefield, their spells hitting bricks from the old school builing and unlevelling chunks of earth and grass, when they were interrupted.

The voice was sharp and brooded a no-nonsense attitude which immediately foretold the arrival of its owner – the formidable professor McGonagall.

'Stop this ruckus immediately!'

With two disarming spells in quick succession, both the combatants were now unarmed. The boys parted, hands on knees.

'All of you, get back to class now!' The crowd dissipated immediately at the scathing tone of her voice, including Clint. 'Someone send for Madam Pomfrey. Tell her there's been a fight and a student requires her immediate attention.' and her eyes betrayed the merest hint of worry at seeing Bruce's inert body. A first-year Gryffindor, eager to please the head of her house, immediately ran to get the matron.

'Stark, Laufeyson, I hope you learn to get along with each other, because starting this evening, you will be seeing each other a lot more often than the entire school would care for – in detention. 7 pm, my office. Sharp.' she turned and as the boys opened their mouths to argue, spoke in a clipped voice. 'I don't care who's at fault here, all unofficial duels are not allowed as long as you're in Hogwarts! No more magic from those wands, this is a warning. And don't be late, or I will make you clean the gillyweed from the school's lake!'

Behind McGonagall's back, both boys gave each other the middle finger.

* * *

'You – what?'

'Landed myself in detention. Steve, don't you ever listen to anything I say?' Tony rolled his eyes. Steve Rogers had his head permanently in the clouds and only came down to earth once or twice in an hour to listen to his friends. Today, Tony had no patience with his ditziness because he was so worked up about the detention later and he wanted someone to complain to. Clint was no use because he was so fucking obsessed with Natasha Romanoff from Ravenclaw and was busy flirting with her at their table.

Thor was still upset that his brother had gotten into a brawl with Tony and was even more upset with Tony for 'leading Loki on'. He had repsonded huffily when Tony tried to joke with him and now sat alone at the table, sullenly shovelling mashed potatoes down his throat.

And so that left Steve out of his circle of friends. Steve Rogers, prefect, Head Boy to be.

'Thor's pissy, he's on his period, so don't speak to him okay?' Thor's rage is a well-known topic throughout school.

The thing was, Tony was fucking nervous about sitting in such close proximity with Loki. He despised the boy and the very thought of sitting near him was unsettling to say the least. A small groan left Tony's mouth. Professor McGonagall had promised more opportunities to come. Tonight would not be the last.

'Huh? He has periods? I knew the Odinson family was strange but...' Steve knitted his eyebrows together as he took a bite out of his mango pudding. 'Do you think he can get pregnant?' Tony sighed. Steve was real fun, but he could be a downright annoying blonde sometimes.

'Since having your period is clearly evidence of the existence of a fallopian tube somewhere, I'm sure he can.' Flashing Steve a half-hearted grin, he excused himself from the dining hall and headed with a heavy heart towards McGonagall's office.

Supper with Loki.

Just...great.


	2. Chapter 2

**Whoo! The second installment already! Hahaha, actually, I find this story harder to write than my other tonyloki one, maybe because I have the added task of blending these two different worlds together into something that is both tangible and interesting. Thanks for the reviews/subscriptions to this one as well! It's so strange, I have much more people putting me on alerts for Wild Goose than this one here, but this receives more reviews..? :0 Anyway, thanks guys, I really appreciate all the love :')**

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**- Chapter 2 -**

**The Detention Room**

When Tony arrived in front of the twin dark mahogany doors leading to McGonagall's office, he was surprised to find that Loki was already there.

'You're late,' he scowled. 'She said to meet her here at 7 pm sharp.'

Tony frowned. 'I don't really care for rules, snake boy. Besides, she's not here yet. Stop being such a prissy ass.'

'Indeed, Mr Stark.'

Tony stared in disbelief as the figure of Loki Laufeyson transformed into that of Professor McGonagall right in front of his eyes. _Oh shit_. He had forgotton Professor McGonagall's area of expertise – the study of Transfiguration. Her ability to turn into any dead or living creature, real or imaginary, as well as her prowness as an animagus had not been exaggerated, Tony noted with a sullen grimace.

'Mr Laufeyson is already waiting for you.'

Sure enough, when Tony entered the detention room Loki Laufeyson was already inside, seated at one end of the long oak table. Tony had no doubts that Loki knew what had happened; there was a smirk on his face that stretched from one ear to the other, and finally he couldn't control his laughter any longer.

'She played you like a fool, Stark! Just goes to show the level of intelligence you possess.'

Tony gritted his teeth.

'Shut up already, greaseball.'

The two exchanged glares across the table. Professor McGonagall had stepped in right after Tony, and was inspecting the both of them above the wire rims of her square glasses. Suddenly, she snapped.

'Stark, Laufeyson. I want the both of you to make friends.'

Predictably, both boys protested.

'No way! A mudblood like him -'

'Professor, he's a Slyther -'

'Enough!' Professor McGonagall slammed both her hands down on the table and the resounding crack silenced them. 'Mr Laufeyson, do not let me hear that word from your mouth again, or it will be double detention. Mr Stark, wouldn't you say it's time for us all to let go of our bigoted differences against our fellow schoolmates? Slytherin has been known to produce a sizable amount of good-hearted witches and wizards as well.'

'Who all turned to the dark side sooner or later,' Tony muttered darkly, which earned himself a reproving glare from the professor. Ignoring him, she continued.

'As long as you guys don't learn how to work together, you will be seeing me every single evening at 7 pm sharp in here.'

Tony groaned. 'Professor! I have Quidditch practice!' This was what he had been fearing - being robbed of his precious Quidditch time. 'We need to win the cup this year!' Last year had been a narrow fight against Hufflepuff, and Tony wished for a smoother victory path this year. Gryffindor might not be so lucky twice in a row.

'I'm sure they can find a replacement seeker, Stark.' Loki grinned nastily at Tony across the length of the table which caused him to simmer with rage.

Professor McGonagall frowned. 'I don't think it's necessary to replace him. He will just have to train harder by himself during his breaks.'

'The professor knows I'm Gryffindor's best chance at securing the cup,' Tony broke into a wide smile. It was the same charming, heartbreaking smile that had snagged the hearts of many a guileless female. 'Right, professor?'

Professor McGonagall hardly batted an eyelid but a slight softening of her expression was visible. 'Mr Stark, I'm not Ms Potts, and you would do well to remember that.' Tony flushed from head to toe whilst Loki's laughter rang loud and clear in the detention room. Pepper Potts had been his girlfriend for the past five months and stories of their blatant PDA were almost as rampant as Thor's formidable reputation for blowing his top. They had just broken up a few weeks ago but even now, Tony jumps at the mention of Pepper's name and casts a wary eye about.

'Now, as for tonight's detention. I could set you guys cleaning duty of course, I heard Filch requires some assistance with regards to the polishing of the trophy room...'

Both boys shuddered in a mix of fear and disgust. Filch was the caretaker and he was known throughout school as the number one wizard not to cross. Technically, he wasn't even a wizard since he failed to graduate from Hogwarts and it is believed by many students to be the source of his jealousy, and thus, cruel treatment towards students of the school. Stories of being caught sneaking around the castle after lights off and being punished by Filch with a particularly nasty spell that involved dangling in the air by an ankle were not uncommon.

'However, that would not be necessary I think. Instead, I would like you to coach each other on spellwork. Take it as if it were private classes or tuition being held for your own sake.'

Tony was flabbergasted. _Him? Teach Loki Laufeyson? But what about his reputation? _

Across the table and studiously avoiding any eye contact, Loki did not look too pleased either.

'I beg your pardon, Professor McGonagall, I don't suppose I have any areas in which I require Mr Stark's...expertise.'

'Mr Laufeyson, I've heard from your professor that you are not doing too well in your Defence Against the Dark Arts classes, despite, of course, illustrious results in all your other classes. Particularly Transfiguration.' Professor McGonagall showered Loki with one of her rare smiles which abruptly turned into a frown as she looked at Tony. 'On the other hand Mr Stark, you have been performing poorly in every single subject other than Defence Against the Dark Arts. Also particularly Transfiguration.' Tony wanted to melt into ground as her gaze meet his. Professor McGonagall, who taught all fifth-years Transfiguration, hadn't been too pleased with his latest results.

'Hey, Quidditch is considered a subject too.'

'Not in my book, Mr Stark. So as you can very well see, both of you would benefit from having each other's fields of expertise. The help that you can provide each other is very complementary. Hence, I have decided that dentention would be turned into a mutual coaching session. Mr Laufeyson, you would be teaching the basics of Transfiguration to Mr Stark, and Mr Stark, your adeptness at Defence Against the Dark Arts would no doubt benefit him. Have I made myself clear?'

Her cold eyes met both of theirs in a sweeping arc from left to right and brood no protestations. Both boys nodded with the enthusiasm of chickens about to go to the abattoir.

'Good then. Use the classroom as freely as you see fit, and I will be in periodically to check on your progress. Your test results next term would determine whether both of you have need to continue this special arrangement. Of course, your conduct report would be a factor as well. Alright then, how about an introduction? Shake hands.'

Loki's expression suggested that he was shaking hands with a toad rather than the most popular boy in school.

'I'm Loki.'

'Pleased to meet you, call me Tony.'

Tony wanted to shrivel up and die when they clasped hands in what was decidedly a demonstration of formality and compliance. Loki's hand felt as cold as Death himself and his startlingly white skin was so smooth and soft that for a moment, Tony thought he had accidentally gripped a girl's hand. He squeezed the other's hand as little as possible, trying his best to avoid any contact at all, and quickly slipped back when the observed period of politeness was over. He did not want to touch the other guy's hand for as long as he can.

Likewise, Loki felt the same and both extricated their hands from each other's grip in a flash.

* * *

And so, their mutual coaching session began. Professor McGonagall had left as soon as she made sure they were settled down and informed them that she will be back in two hours, when detention officially ended. _Great_, thought Tony. _Just great. _

He was trapped and not too pleased about it.

They were sitting in silence, fidgeting uncomfortably when Loki spoke up first, eager to break the tension.

Of course it was a snide remark.

'Not good at anything huh, Stark? Lesser brains than even Professor Longbottom?'

Tony could feel anger rising in him. Professor Neville Longbottom was a kindly, if a bit scatterbrained, young Professor of Herbology at Hogwarts. He always had a warm smile for anyone and that included even the Slytherins. Although Tony could not be said to be overly fond of the man, or even close to him (Professor Longbottom was too dense for his liking), Loki's insult came a slap to the face, and he felt impelled to defend Professor Longbottom's virtue.

'Defence Against the Dark Arts getting you down? Ha, I thought you pure blood supremacists were good at everything. I mean, what would your father think?' Immediately, Tony regretted bringing Mr Odinson up. A pang of guilt stung him as he watched the expression on Loki's face change from one of smugness to a splotchy mess of red.

'Y-you sh-shut up!' Loki was positively shaking with rage. Tony had done it, he had hit a nerve. He was almost regretful and was surprised he actually felt for the boy.

'What -'

'None of your business.' Loki snarled as he whipped his wand out and pointed it straight at Tony's chest. Tony's eyebrows flew up. The boy was willing to risk getting another detention, probably detentions for the rest of his life, just because of one remark? He must have serious daddy issues.

'Go away!'

Loki retreated to one corner of the room where he lay huddled in a chair, pulling his robes around him, green eyes sparkling menacingly in the gloom. Guilt nipped at Tony. _I need to recompensate_, he thought. It was his fault he knew. Families were always tricky businesses, even at their best, just look at his own. He should not have gone poking his nose into other people's families.

'Well, if it helps matters much...I was an orphan.' This blunt statement prompted a pair of curious green eyes to swivel around the room and lock onto his own brown ones. Sensing no objection, Tony cleared his throat and continued.

'My parents, they died in a car crash and left me behind. So I understand how it feels -'

'I am adopted.'

Tony froze. He could sense that he was treading on thin ice here. Thin black ice to be exact. The kind that could swallow you under 50 feet of ice cold water without warning. So he waited silently till Loki was ready to talk.

It was ten uncomfortable minutes of silence as time dragged on, and more and more Tony wished he had kept his mouth shut about other people's parents.

Loki finally spoke. 'That is why Thor and I have different surnames. His father is not mine. I was adopted into their family.' He looked calmer already, the red spots on his face already cooling down to a warm shade of pink which made his face look rosier and healthier.

'You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I mean, I'm not all that interested -'

'No. It is a fair trade. After all, you told me something about yourself.'

'The orphan thing? No big deal,' _Except only my closest friends know_, he thought. Damn Loki for making him guilty over making him feel bad. Sometimes, Tony hated his sensitivity.

'I became the first Slytherin in the long line of Gryffindors in the Odinson family. That was when I discovered my birth status. My parents, the Laufeysons, they were pure blooded Slytherins. It was then I decided to use my rightful name. Loki _Laufeyson_.' He spat the last word out bitterly as if he would much prefer the usage of Odinson.

'Oh. Suits you better.' Tony replied for lack of something to say. What was he supposed to do when his mortal enemy was spilling his guts out to you?

'Indeed?' Loki cocked a quizzical eyebrow. 'Because I'm the sneaky evil snake boy, aren't I?' He laughed when Tony's face flushed right red, then he twirled his wand and said almost lazily, in a voice as smooth as butter. 'Well, shall we get on with Transfiguration?'

They spent the next hour going through the finer details of it ('Twirl your wand like this, no like _this_, and concentrate, you have to _want_ to make the transformation happen.') and finally at the end of the lesson Tony attempted to turn a strand of his own hair into a needle. He managed to transform half of it into something resembling silver but the other half wouldn't change, no matter what he did.

'Okay okay. Let's stop with this whole transforming shit.' Tony panted as if the lesson had taken up all his energy and stamina. 'Do a little Defense Against the Dark Arts now?'

Loki's faced flushed and Tony realised that he probably did not want to embarrass himself in front of Tony. _He was more self-conscious then he let on_, thought Tony. Then again, this meant that he was more disastrous at it then Tony thought.

Tony weighed the costs and benefits of acting nice to Loki. He wouldn't miss as much actual Quidditch practice if he played nice to Loki and would get let out of detention early. Not that he needed those lame ass team trainings anyway, he could train as well or even better on his own, but it was a good excuse to be flying on the broom. The faster he could meet less with Loki and get back to making fun of him...what? Did professor McGonagall think he was going to stop just because of the fear of punishment?

'I won't laugh, I promise.'

So he stretched a smile across his face and said 'Well. Shall we begin?'


	3. Chapter 3

**Phew! A tad longer than usual...but I really had fun writing this chapter, and it was an immense relief when I finally completed it! :) **

**Okay, read & review guys! ^_^**

* * *

**- Chapter 3 -**

**Bruce's Warning**

Loki's pride made it hard for anyone to work with him. Whenever Tony tried to pinpoint his errors, he received five different retorts and comebacks. Easily embarrassed and infuriated, Loki drove Tony _nuts_. He had never before met a man more conceited than even he, Tony Stark, who had the mother of all egos.

'Let's try this again,' Tony said gently, only to be met with a scowl by Loki. 'Hold it like this, and repeat after Patronum.'

'Expecto Patronum.' Loki pointed his wand with a death glare at the wall opposite but nothing even remotely resembling a patronus came out of the end of his wand. Frustrated, he growled and turned on Tony in what was an extremely unprovoked attack.

'It's your fault, you can't teach. What the hell am I supposed to do, I've already got the incantation correct!'

Tony exhaled a deep breath of air. _Patience, patience._ Playing nice to Loki was part of his plan after all and losing his temper was definitely going to lose him some brownie points. He felt so infuriated that he wanted to snap his wand into two. Steadying his mounting anger, he smiled as best as he could and said, 'That's not all, Loki. You have to think happy thoughts. Focus on the happiest memory you've got and channel it all into the projection of the patronus. Like _this_.'

With a swish of his wand, he produced a slivery patronus. Loki stared at it in a kind of mystified horror as a half eagle, half horse, bestial creature emerged from the end of Tony's wand, all silvery white and absolutely glowing. He had never actually seen one in real life, they were supposedly quite rare and did not care much for human contact. Feathers framed its beautiful features and its wings were easily the span of an average man's height. The face was handsome, the beak curved and sharp and two ghostly blue eyes swimmed into Loki's vision. All in all, Loki thought it looked a bit miffed to be summoned when there was no real need for it. The hippogriff reared his claws and made a short canter around the classroom once before fading into oblivion.

'There, easy.' The bright smile on Tony's face was wiped off by the look of intense hatred and jealousy that clouded Loki's face. Bad move.

'Okay...so maybe everyone has different learning speeds?' But Tony did not get a chance to finish his sentence before Loki strode out the door, nearly bumping into Professor McGonagall on his way out.

'Do watch where you're going, Mr Laufeyson!'

'Excuse me professor, but my time here's up. May I be dismissed?'

With a curt nod of her head, Loki hurriedly made his escape down the hallways to the Slytherin common room. Tony shrugged his shoulders as Professor McGonagall shot him an inquiring look.

'I honestly don't know what's gotten into him.'

* * *

The next few days passed without much incident. Loki continued to hang out with Amora amd Skurge at the Slytherin table (although recently they were joined by a new friend, Victor Von Doom, whose last name was the bane of his existence) and Tony and friends kept out of his way at their own table. Bruce had recovered sufficiently from his concussion to be discharged from the hospital wing but was still sore enough not to speak to Tony. He had no problems reconnecting with Loki though, although the latter was still as hesitant as ever about making friends. Thor, on the other hand, appeared to have forgiven Tony for fighting with his brother.

Tony and Loki pretended not to know each other outside of detention. They never spoke, never made eye contact and certainty treated the other as if he were non-existent. Even the ghosts seem to command much more of their attention than the other boy.

Detention did not stop as well. Professor McGonagall still insisted that they teach each other as a form of mutual tuition and both boys did. After that disastrous first lesson of the patronus charm, Tony no longer coached Loki on it. In fact, it had become a topic of taboo to them both. Instead, Tony sought permission to bring in a boggart (which had been lurking in one of the school's musty old closets) in order to coach Loki. So far, he seemed to be progressing well.

School life was busy. Whenever he had a free moment, Tony would escape to the Quidditch field, where he would practice diving and swooping in the air with his broom, enjoying very much indeed, the sensation of air zooming past his face and the rush of adrenaline that only a ride on his broom could provide. If he might say so himself, Tony was a damn good flier, and he reckoned he could give the school's legendary seeker, Harry Potter, a run for his money. It was his second nature, being up in the air where he felt free and unburdened by the banalities of life. He could almost catch the milky stars in his hands.

In his spare time, Tony loved tinkering with objects. One of his brooms, a Nimbus 2001, had been modified countless number of times. He was sure that wasn't allowed in matches, which is why he used his Nimbus only for personal pleasure while his Firebolt was utilized in matches. With the fortune his parents had left behind, he could have gotten enough Firebolts for the whole of England but he wasn't sure he wanted to do that. After all, he was not a particularly charitable person. But part of the fun in getting the Nimbus was modifying it such that it could even outstrip the Firebolt in terms of speed. And indeed it could. The Firebolt could boast of a speed of at least a hundred and fifty miles per hour, but Tony's modified Nimbus could do twice that. In half an hour.

One day, out of boredom, he had built a personal assistant which he named Jarvis. Again, everything he would ever require help in (cleaning his bedroom, tying his laces, packing his books, just to name a few), he could do with magic, but where's the fun in that? Besides, he wasn't particularly strong in magic, except for his Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. Tony couldn't help being interested in Muggle "magic", which they called science. He had built Jarvis from scratch, using bits and pieces of material he could collect, like Steve's old laptop, modeling him after robots he saw once in a documentary about Muggles. Usually, he could be found tinkering in his room, with the help of Jarvis, listening to the music of AC/DC, occasionally humming along to the tune.

Clearly, his friends (with the exception of Thor) were always making fun about him spending time with Loki. 'Spending time with the girlfriend again tonight?' Clint said with a sparkle in his eye. Steve snorted, his pumpkin juice almost regurgitating through his nose.

'Look, I can't help it ok? And we don't spend time together, it's called detention.'

Tony's gang, or the Avengers as they called themselves, were all male and members include Steve Rogers, Thor Odinson and Clint Barton as well as Tony himself. They had all met on their first Hogwarts Express trip during the first year and had gotten along marvelously, and the following four years only served to cement their brotherhood. They were as thick as thieves, and with the exception of Steve, could be counted on to be always up to some mischief. Tony had been seeking the formidable Bruce Banner to join, but alas, it was to no avail.

Suddenly, Tony could remember that first train ride they all shared together with ample clarity. Loki had been in there with them, only because, timid and afraid, he had followed his brother Thor into the compartment. Although Thor looked bigger and older, both brothers were actually the same age and thus, started school together.

Whilst Thor was friendly and charming, Loki had been sullen and anti-social, preferring to hide his face behind a book, ears blushing at the slightest mention of his name. Half hidden in robes that were clearly too big for his skinny stature (Tony supposed they didn't make clothes in sizes that fit Loki's slender figure), his jet-black hair looked greasy even as it was combed back into a backsweep that curled at the ends, pausing at the nape of his snow-white neck. Loki's green eyes were furtive and eerily beautiful, darting quickly from one face to another, like a cat constantly on the alert. Tony remembered feeling annoyed at his non-participation (usually, people listened when he was talking) and he was talking about something very important indeed. His villa back home.

'...no less than five swimming pools.' At the much accustomed "oohs" and "ahhs" from the other boys, Tony looked nonchalantly at the figure of Loki, who still had his face buried in a book. Twitching with annoyance, he had snatched the book straight from Loki's hand, exclaiming, 'Whatcha reading that's so interesting? Come on then, give it here.'

'No! Give it back!' Loki's cheeks had flushed a rose pink which stood out flatteringly from his pale skin and his green eyes were near to tears, judging by the glistening wet lashes and doleful expression.

'A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration?' Tony scoffed. 'Well, what do we have here? Already planning how best to suck up to your teachers, ain't that right, Loki?'

If possible, Loki's face flushed even redder at the mention of his name and unshed tears stung his eyes painfully. But he would not cry and make a fool out of himself in front of these boys. He wouldn't but he wanted to.

'I wasn't! Give it back,' he half wailed. '_Please_, Tony.' His plaintive remark sent a pang through Tony's heart but he wasn't about to give in just yet.

Thor, sitting on the other side of Loki had already sprung to his feet. 'Give my brother back his book,' he said in a gruff voice. 'Or I will jinx you.'

'No way! I don't believe that! You can't have learnt how to jinx people yet.' Steve stared in amazement at Thor's profundity with spells. 'And he's right, Tony, give Loki back his book.' he continued in a stern voice. Steve prided himself on the fact that he was the only first-year on the train that knew a handful of rudimentary spells and was both ashamed and amazed about the possibility that Thor might know more than him. Suddenly, Steve he embarrassed that he had shown off with a basic hover charm just now when Thor actually knew how to cast jinxes. Making the teapot levitate was nothing compared to making leeks sprout from your friend's ear, or conjuring exploding Wizard Crackers out of thin air.  
Clint's eyes though, were full of glee. 'Awww sit down Steve! The guy can take a little joke, can't you, Loki?'

'Well, my father taught me so I could protect Loki.' Thor said in reply to Steve, but already, its unintended effects had been set in motion. The whole compartment, with the exception of the two brothers, was shaking with laughter. Thor looked confused but Loki's face was absolutely livid.

'I don't need your protection Thor! And keep the book, Stark, I don't want something your filthy hands touched!' With that pronouncement, he stalked out of the compartment huffily. Instantly, the whole compartment was silent and the faces of four very guilty young boys looked around at each other.

'You should not have done that, Tony,' and Tony bit back a remark. _Well, you shouldn't have embarrassed your brother in front of his new friends, Thor_. With a semi-apologetic look, Thor muttered 'I will go and get him' and left the compartment.

Loki only came back once, when the Hogwarts Express had arrived at the station, to get his luggage. Nothing Thor said could have persuaded him to return, and later, during the Sorting ceremony, both brothers were put into different houses, Loki into Slytherin and Thor in Gryffindor, and thus, the rift grew ever wider between both of them.

The memory inspired some sort of accountability and guilt in Tony, and those were his two least favorite feelings in the world.

* * *

Five days after the first detention session, Tony managed to bring the subject of the patronus charm up again.

'Come on, let's do that again, wouldn't you want to know -'

'No,'

'- what kind of creature it will be? It's supposed to reflect your innermost nature after all. I mean, considering that it's you and all, it will probably be a snake.' Tony wrinkled his nose at the idea. Loki's eyes shot daggers at him, not unlike the glare of a cobra.

'No means no, Stark.'

'Call me Tony,' he said absentmindedly, until he remembered who he was talking to. Clearing his throat, he attempted to divert Loki's attention. 'How about we go on a field trip, you and me?'

'A field trip? And where exactly do you have in mind?' Loki was giving him a curious look, like an eagle peering interestedly at its prey before feeding on it.

'Oh, you know. The village, Hogsmeade. I know some secret passageways we could use,' Tony said, his eyes twinkling. Besides its obvious convenience, using the secret passages meant that there would be no chance encounters with the other students of the school. He could not risk being discovered as being a chummy pal of Loki. No Gryffindor would ever hang out with him if they found out.

'The village?' Loki's forehead creased disdainfully, as if spending time with Tony in a cheerful, bustling wizard village was the last thing he would want to do.

'It will be fun, I promise. Look, you haven't ever flown on a broom before right? I'll lend you my Nimbus, I'm sure you will find the experience...enlightening.' His eyes glinted mischievously. _Loki the bookworm on a broom? _Oh, that would be golden.

'And how exactly would this benefit my study of the patronus charm?'

'Well, if you don't mind me speaking my mind,' Tony checked for any warning signs on Loki's face, and as there were none, he continued. 'I think the reason you are having problems with it is because you have difficulty recalling a particularly happy incident. So that's where this field trip comes in. Trust me, nothing will make you as happy as your first broom ride.'

While Loki was coming to a decision, Tony thought whether he might not have overstepped his boundaries of playing nice to Loki. Sure, he was nice as hell to the boy, but this, this was bordering on friendship. And the thought of being friends with Loki scared him. On the other hand, he was sure that this would speed up Loki's learning of the patronus charm and the faster they get the hell out of detention the better. Lost in his thoughts, he almost didn't hear when Loki said 'Okay.'

Utterly shocked and unable to conceal his expression, Tony stared, open-mouthed, as Loki began rattling off the details of his timetable. Loki sighed.

'You don't seem like much of a planner, Stark, so why don't you leave it up to me to decide the date?' And so he did, and soon he had arranged for them to slip into Hogsmeade next Tuesday, just after Tony's potions class.

* * *

Over breakfast the next day, Tony told his friends about the plan to sneak into Hogsmeade with Loki.

Clint stared at him with something akin to a cross between being horrified and scandalised. A piece of blueberry muffin stopped halfway to his opened mouth. 'Why would you do that Tony -'

Obviously Steve agreed. 'Consorting with Loki isn't exactly the best course of -' he said, all the while buttering his scone.

'That's my man.' Thor positively beamed at Tony over the breakfast things, his smile even brighter than the silver teapot that Filch had so lovingly polished.

' - think about your reputation, no think of -'

' - action, although I'm usually all for making friends, but seriously -'

' - mine. Damnit. Natasha's ignoring me, and you being pals with Loki isn't gonna help change her impression of me much.' With a groan, Clint buried his face into his palms as the implications sank in. 'In fact, she's not gonna like me much more...if she doesn't start hating me, that is.'

' - you should reconsider your course of action. I can speak to Professor McGonagall if you want. See if she can change how your detention is being carried out.'

Tony waited till he was sure he got everyone's attention.

'Come on guys, _chill_. It's just a friendly visit to Hogsmeade -' Immediately he was met with a chorus of dissapprovals.

'Tony, think of the consquences, you guys would be sneaking in, and if you got caught -'

'Just? _Just_? With that action, you might as well include him into our little gang -'

'If my brother gets into more trouble -'

'Guys, just shut up already!' Tony snapped huffily. 'As I was saying. This trip is necessary, it is vital that we go if I want to skip out of detention early. The sooner I get out of detention, the sooner I get to resume Qudditich practice with the team right?' He looked around for support, but only Thor was smiling. 'Just to clarify Thor, just because I'm being a little nicer to your brother doesn't mean I'm willing to accept him as a friend. Yet.' He added quickly at the perplexed, soon to turn into anger look on his friend's face. 'And,' Tony silenced the protesting looks on the others' faces with an upturned finger. 'I won't let anyone catch us. So no need to worry about reputations or consequences there. We don't even talk outside of detention, see?'

They agreed but Tony could still see the shadow of doubt on their faces.

'Thanks for the offer, Steve, but I don't think it will help matters much even if you talk to Professor McGonagall.' Seeing the sullen look on Steve's face (after all, he was a _prefect_), Tony hastily continued. 'It has nothing to do with your abilities as a prefect of course.' That seemed to cheer him up substantially. 'Also, Clint. I think I can help you with Natasha there.'

'Really? You would?' On his face was the brightest smile that the gang had seen in a while. _Wow, he's fucking over his head for Natasha_, thought Tony.

'Well, why not? Girls, they're simple to win over once you know how to,' and Tony gave a knowing wink, because, well he had his fair share of girls.

After that, Steve and Clint left for the library ("I've got some catching up to do,") and the common room ("Dang! I left my Divination book up there. Trelawney's gonna kill me if I forget it again!") respectively, so that left Thor and Tony alone. Sure, Thor was a good buddy and all, but Tony never felt particulary comfortable with being left alone with the guy. Thor had a killer temper, and Tony had always been brash and prone to shooting his mouth off about stuff that was none of his business (read: Loki).

'So...more tea, Thor?' Tony's awkward smile flopped and turned rapidly into a grimace.

'I just wanted to say, Tony, thank you for being so nice to my brother. You've been helping him improve on his studies?'

Tony opened his mouth to protest. He wanted to say that it was hardly his pleasure, that he had been forced to do so by McGonagall, and did so with the fear of Thor's wrath imprinted vividly on his mind, and the promise of free evenings occupying the other section, and that Loki was hardly the best student to have, that his massive ego was fucking irritating, but luckily, Tony thought better of it at the last moment.

'It's alright Thor, you're welcome. Hey, what are best buddies for man?' Definitely not for coaching their buddy's wayward brother, but Tony kept that to himself. And then, because he saw that Thor was pleased, Tony thought, _why not, let's lay it on a little thicker_. 'Loki's a fast learner. He listens to everything I have to say and follows them exactly.'

Thor frowned. 'Really, Tony? You must be unusually good with him then. He used to cause so much trouble for his teachers back home. Blowing furniture up, turning things over, hiding stuff...Father would be pleased to hear that you have reformed my brother.'

Okay, so that had been a tad overboard. It wasn't the response he was expecting. The last thing Tony wanted was to get more involved with the Odinson family than was required. So far, all the members he had met was more trouble than a Homorphus charm, which were incredibly complex.

Just then, a heavyset man strode in their direction, towards the Gryffindor table. Tony was almost glad for the diversion, because it meant that he wouldn't have to think of a suitable response to Thor's reply, when he saw who it was. His eyes widened in their sockets as they took in the image of Bruce Banner. _Holy shit_.

He knew that Bruce had not forgiven him for his stun spell, because his first words were 'Heard you are coaching Loki now,'. Well, not exactly words when they were spat out at him like a growl from an angry animal. Tony swallowed. A really angry, rabid bear.

'That's right,' Tony said, hoping he sounded braver than he felt. Was that jealousy he detected in Banner's sour tone? All hopes of ever recruiting him to be a part of the Avengers fell flat. _Never mind_, Tony thought. What had they ever saw in him anway?

Definately not weakness. Bruce's muscles rippled underneath his grey sweatshirt and as he leaned in close, Tony could smell the aftershave that he used. _Gross_.

'He better not come to any harm, Tony, or I will personally hunt you down myself. Do you hear? Also,' This later part was spoken in a harsh whisper but the menacing undertone was not a part of Tony's imagination. 'He's mine, so _clear off_.'

Great, so now Bruce had marked Loki as his mate.

Thor was already out of his seat, eyes fixed on the Hufflepuff with distaste and suspicion. Satisfied, Bruce turned away and walked out of the was visibly shaken, and at Thor's inquiring look, wailed.

'And I thought Hufflepuffs were supposed to be nice!'

* * *

What happened to Bruce Banner, the nice BFG? He was obviously in love with Loki and jealous of Tony, that much was clear. If he knew Tony well though, he would have known better than to be jealous of him. Tony scoffed. _Him? Liking Loki? _He couldn't wait to get rid of that annoying boy and forget about this whole thing.

As surprisingly as it would seem now, Bruce had a reputation for being the best Hufflepuff there was. By that, it meant simply that he was, without doubt, the nicest and friendliest guy in school. Until the incident that morning, Tony would have believed that wholeheartedly too. Now he wasn't so sure.

But he had better things to worry about than the seeming duplicity of Bruce's nature. The trip to Hogsmeade for example. Tony still wasn't sure what exactly to do with Loki. The past few detentions went by uneventfully, with neither of them broaching the topic of Hogsmeade. It was almost as if Loki had forgotten about it until Monday evening, when during another session of detention (which became a sort of nightly routine to Tony, not unlike the brushing of teeth before bed), Loki so casually reminded Tony of it.

'Oh, yeah. Right.' Tony had replied nonchalantly but the truth was that it was causing him some serious sleep at night. He had lost count of the number of nights he had lain awake in his bed upstairs in the Gryffindor dormitory, the sounds of his friends snoring contently around him. No matter how many sheep he counted, Tony could not hope to fall asleep till much later in the night, and then his rest would be unfufilling, insatiable, marred by nightmares.

_Would we fight? What if we were discovered? What does he like? Will he like flying? What should I do?_

Tony's greatest fear was that they would come away from the trip without any significant results, and he would have wasted his time. Worst of all, detention would continue so long as Loki was unable to produce a patronus. The whole purpose of the trip was to give Loki some happy memories for his patronus. Reflecting upon the motivations of his suggestion now, Tony thought that perhaps he had been too hasty. Because he was pretty sure that they would not get along.

Finally, during the fourth night in a row that he had failed to drift away to sleep, he decided to trust his instincts and not think too much about Hogsmeade. Things had a way of working out the less time you devoted to thinking about them. After cursing Loki for giving him yet another sleepless night, Tony turned over his pillow to expose the cool underbelly and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

The prospects of the potential Hogsmeade visit did not seem to affect Loki in the least. Unless you count the dark eye circles that stood out painfully from his too fair skin.

'Check out those eyebags from panda over there!' This was Clint and he feeling unusually perky today. Mostly because Thor wasn't around. He had gone straight down to the greenhouses for his Herbology lessons after breakfast.

They no longer made fun of Loki as much, if at all, because Tony had warned them against it. The last thing he needed was to get McGonagall on his case again. So nowadays, it was all limited to veiled insults and whispered snickers.

'Maybe he studied too hard,' Tony said, but somehow even he wasn't convinced. It gladdened him to know that at least he wasn't the only one feeling butterflies about this trip.

Loki was still hanging out with his usual crowd – Amora, Skurge, Victor and recently, Norman Osbourne. He was a dark, handsome, tall and toned Slytherin. His devilish eyes glinted mischievously and it was no surprise to anyone when he soon fell in with Loki's gang. Tony had heard that he was at least as much of a heartbreaker as Tony was, and was perhaps, slightly infuriated that someone was stealing his thunder. He made a mental note to resume his skirt-chasing ways after the nightly detentions were over.

Tuesday arrived faster than both of them thought and on that particular morning, his friends gave him weird looks all around. Suddenly, Tony was glad that the news did not spread. Steve muttered darkly and give him a sour, disapproving look. Clint was playfully mournful the entire morning, predicting his various deaths under Loki and had taken to shaking his hand suddenly with a grim expression on his face, as if he was sure this was the last time he would ever see Tony. On the other hand, Thor gave him a thumbs-up from where he was sitting across the breakfast table but Tony wasn't sure he liked that either. With compliments from the Hufflepuff table was Bruce, who kept sneaking glances at Tony when he thought no one was looking.


End file.
